Good Breeder Center

Home Health and First-Aid for Your Dog

We recommend you keep these contacts, gear, supplies and medications on hand for your dog.

Important Contacts

Equipment and Supplies

  • Applicator bottle with a nozzle
  • Assorted bandage material
  • Bandage tape
  • Gauze pads (3×3” and 4×4”)
  • Gauze rolls
  • Non-stick bandages, like Vet Wrap
  • Bowl, collapsible
  • Cold pack, instant for swelling and other injuries
  • Kennel lead, for controlling dog and can be used as a muzzle
  • Muzzle, soft in case your dog becomes frantic when injured
  • Mylar emergency blanket, for warming or dragging an injured dog
  • Nail trimmers and/or nail file
  • Q-tips or other cotton-tipped swabs
  • Scissors, sharp, preferable blunt nosed
  • Staple kit (optional for hunting or search dogs)
  • Surgical suit and/or Elizabethan collar for protecting wounds or sutures
  • Syringes for flushing wounds and giving liquid medications (1, 3 and 12 cc)
  • Thermometer, rectal or calibrated ear – normal canine temperature is 100°- 102.6°F
  • Tick-removal tool
  • Towels
  • Tweezers

 

Items in bold should be in your travel and hiking first-aid kits

Over the Counter Medications

Consult your veterinarian for dosage and frequency before using.

Ascriptin (coated aspirin) for minor aches and pains. Discontinue if vomiting or diarrhea Do not give for more than a few days. (Do NOT give regular aspirin, acetaminophen (Tylenol) or non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (Advil, Motrin, Aleve) except under your vet’s supervision.) Give Ascriptin by dog’s weight, twice daily:

  • < 10 pounds – ½ baby aspirin tablet
  • 10-25 pounds – 1 baby aspirin tablet
  • 25-50 pounds – ½ adult regular-strength Ascriptin tablet
  • > 50 pounds – 1 adult regular-strength Ascriptin tablet

Alcohol, 70% isopropyl to clean thermometer and for ear cleanser

Antibiotic ointment, such as triple antibiotic ointment/spray for treating wounds

Benadryl for allergic reactions (facial swelling, puffiness) to bee stings, spider bites, etc. Give by dog’s weight, two to three times daily:

  • < 10 pounds – ½ 25-mg tablet
  • 10-25 pounds – 1 25-mg tablet
  • 25-50 pounds – 2 25-mg tablets
  • > 50 pounds – 3 25-mg tablets

Other antihistamines may work better than Benadryl, for your dog’s other itching issues, such as allergies. Over-the-counter alternatives to Benadryl to discuss with your vet include: Zyrtec, Claritin, and Chlor-Trimeton.

Bentonite or clay, for diarrhea

  • Give by dog’s weight, 1/4 tsp per 20 pounds bodyweight, mixed into a slurry with water. Syringe into pup’s cheek or, once you are feeding the pup again, add to food, two to three times daily

Chlorhexidine solution for disinfecting wounds. Be sure to get the solution not scrub.

EMT Gel for wounds. Reduces bleeding, pain and infections.

Eye Wash, saline for flushing wounds or rinsing foreign bodies from your dog’s eye

Hydrogen peroxide 3%, from drug store or supermarket, to induce vomiting. One teaspoon (five milliliters, or cc’s) for every 10 pounds of body weight.

Imodium AD tablets for diarrhea. Give by dog’s weight, after each bout of diarrheato a maximum of two times. Do not exceed dosage!

  • < 50 pounds – ½ tablet
  • > 50 pounds – 1 tablet

Kaolin Pectin for treating diarrhea

  • Give by dog’s weight every 4-6 hours, 0.5 to 1.0 milliliters per pound bodyweight

Kwick Stop to stop bleeding nails

KY Jelly or Vaseline to lubricate thermometer and to apply to feet in the snow or when pads crack

Pepto-Bismol for upset stomachs (vomiting, diarrhea, gas) Give by dog’s weight, two to three times daily:

  • Liquid: 1 teaspoon per 10 lbs
  • Tablets (Crush tablets before giving them):
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Pharmaseb Flush, for ear and skin infections

Psyllium, bulk or unsweetened Metamucil, for constipation

Pumpkin, canned or dehydrated such as Firm Up! for aiding with diarrhea and constipation

Yunnan Baiyao, Chinese herb commonly used for bleeding and bleed-outs

Homemade Ear Cleanser

  • 70% Isopropyl alcohol
  • Distilled or apple-cider vinegar

Mix equal parts alcohol and vinegar in an applicator bottle with a nozzle and shake well. Squirt a small amount into your dog’s ear canal and then start rubbing the ball of your dog’s ear to get the liquid into the ear canal.

Prescription Medications

Depending upon your relationship with your vet and access to emergency care, you vet may be willing to allow you to have a few doses of these items on hand, particularly if you often travel or hike with your dogs. Your vet may say no but it’s worth asking.

  • Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory, such as Rimadyl or Previcox
  • Prednisone, for serious allergic reactions